Don't Ever Leave
by TheDreamGarden
Summary: They aren't speaking to each other. Nobody knows what's up with them. What happened the night before that has Tony and Ziva so on edge?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Do I own NCIS? Yes or No? Sadly, I would have to say no. **

**A/N: This will most likely be only a couple of chapters. Italics represent flashbacks. Enjoy!**

**Don't Ever Leave**

**Chapter 1**

The bullpen was silent. Too silent to be considered normal for the middle of the day. There was a certain feeling in the atmosphere. McGee couldn't quite put his finger on it**, **but for some reason the word tight came to mind. Like a hand tightly choking the air out of your lungs. McGee looked at his coworkers and studied Tony's clenched jaw and Ziva's curled fists. Yes, tight did seem to be the appropriate word at the moment.

McGee wasn't the only one who noticed the change in the partners today. Gibbs wasn't one to usually ponder these types of things, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. It was no secret Tony and Ziva were close. He had gone through the same type of thing with his partner before. But the thought that his teammate's relationship was anything similar to his and Jenny's wasn't exactly comforting to him.

Tony harshly slammed his desk drawer shut causing the other three peoples head to shoot up. He stood up and his eyes fleetingly met Ziva's before he fled to the men's room. Once he was gone Ziva bowed her head in something that resembled defeat. "You ok, Ziver?"

She looked over at him, but wouldn't meet his eyes. "Yes, Gibbs." Ziva didn't like to lie. She wasn't very good at it. The truth was she wasn't fine. Her mind was flipping images at her from the previous night's events like some kind of slide show. It should have never happened. It was all a mistake. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself of these words, she couldn't. Not when she could still feel his hands, his bare skin, his breath, his lips. She shuddered against the breeze that blew past her when he made his way back from the bathroom. Tony noticed and gave her a smoldering look. Those same heated eyes that were present last night. After a few seconds he broke their eye contact; more like ripped his eyes from hers, like ripping off a bandage. It's quick, but can be painful, and leave you feeling exposed.

Gibbs was usually a man who treasured silence, but this silence was becoming painful. Putting his hands on his desk he stood up, getting the desired attention of the others. "DiNozzo, David, with me." He ushered them over to stand near the stairs. "Whatever happened between you two, I don't need to know, but you're gonna need to pull yourselves together and fix it. I don't care what you do, but the next time I see you it better be resolved. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Gibbs."

"Yes Boss."

Gibbs nodded and then left the two with their thoughts. How did it get like this? They both wondered. It began yesterday.

_They had just closed up a very difficult and painful case. Tony had broken rule #10 and got personally involved. It involved a seven year old boy whose Mother had been murdered. Ziva suspected her partner may become emotionally effected by the case right from the very beginning. He felt a connection to the boy, his Mother having passed away when he was eight. They had later found out that the boy's Father, a marine home on leave had killed his wife and the Mother of his son. The boy took it hard and so did Tony it had seemed._

_When he left the office that night she was determined to follow him home. When Tony was upset he often drank, either that or he would curl himself up in a fox hole somewhere and not come out for several days, that fox hole being his apartment. The same apartment that Ziva had just walked up to, knocking in her typical solid knock fashion._

_She would often come over to his place when she knew something was bothering him, but this time something felt off. His door was unlocked; he had probably been expecting her. When she entered she found him hunched over on the couch. There appeared to be no alcohol in sight, which was a bit surprising. Hearing her come in he looked up. "Ziva." He whispered somewhat brokenly. She quickly went over to him and sat beside him. The woman reached out and grabbed her partner's hand. "She didn't deserve to die. He didn't deserve to lose his Mom." Ziva wasn't sure of he was referring to the boy and his Mother or himself and his Mother. Either way it was obvious Tony needed someone there beside him, to hold him, to comfort him, and Ziva was willing to do that. _

_She pulled him towards her and he fell into her arms. She shifted so she was laying on the couch with his head on her chest. Tony placed his arm over her stomach and absentmindedly rubbed his thumb across her side. They had been laying like that a while before Ziva felt his lips make contact with her collarbone. The sudden contact causing her to look down at him. "Tony?" _

_He removed his head from her chest and sat up. His face was right in front of hers. He moved one hand to her hair and the other to her cheek. "Spend the night with me." It wasn't so much a question as it was an order. It was as if he put her in a trance just by using his eyes. Without much thought Ziva nodded her head._

And that's where it all began.

**Thanks for reading! Please Review! **

**I will try to update as soon as I can. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter. Just a reminder, Italics mean flashbacks. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 2**

Gibbs had ordered that everyone go home for the night not long after his talk with Tony and Ziva. Tony made a run for the elevator before Ziva even shut off her computer. By the time she reached the elevator it was already closing. He made no move to hold it for her. Walking out to the parking lot she could see the outline of his body getting into his car. For some reason watching him like this, hidden in the dark of night, reminded her of past missions. Like he was her target and she was just waiting for the right moment to strike.

It was as if last night was repeating itself, except this time when she knocked on the door, he answered. He opened the door just a sliver at first. Only one side of his face exposed, and then quickly he threw it open causing Ziva to flinch.

"Ziva." _"Ziva." He grunted, burying his face in her neck. Nipping at the skin. _

"Tony." _"Tony." She moaned, her nails clawing at his bare back._

She shut the door behind her and followed him into the kitchen. Tony poured two glasses of wine, drinking the first all at once and handing the other off to her before pouring himself another. "Do you really think that is wise?" She asked.

"Afraid there's gonna be a repeat of last night?" He shot back.

"Look Tony, I'm sorry about…"

"Save it. We both know that last night meant nothing."

"Really? Well, if it meant nothing, then why are you so upset about it?"

He slammed down his glass and moved to stand in front of her. "You know damn well why." His voice a harsh whisper to her ears.

"So then it did mean something to you." Her voice was soft, opposite from his. Then again opposites attract.

"Why did you leave?" He grasped desperately for an answer.

"I had to." That wasn't good enough.

"Why?" When she didn't answer right away he gave up. He gave a harsh laugh, walking past her into the living room and grabbing his coat.

"Where are you going?"

"No need to worry my ninja. I'll be back later. If you wanna stay, stay. If you wanna leave, I won't be here to stop you." And with that he was gone, leaving Ziva alone in his apartment. Blinking unshed tears from her eyes, she walked over to his bedroom. Turning on the light she was struck with the exact same image she saw that morning. It was just how she left it. The sheets were thrown about and the lamp on the bedside table was still knocked over. It was as though she had turned back the clock. The only difference was her partner/lover did not lay sleeping peacefully like he was when she left.

That's right, she left. This was her fault. If she had only just stayed. If she hadn't gotten scared and ran off in the morning then maybe things would be different, she wondered to herself.

Ziva layed down on the bed. His side of the bed. She could smell herself on the sheets.

_She followed him to the bedroom. She had a feeling of what he wanted, but would let him take the lead. He pulled her into an embrace and sat back on the bed, her back to his chest. His arms were around her waist and he lifted her hair off her neck, placing hot kisses down the back of her neck. When he met the collar of her shirt he moved his hands to the front of her blouse._

The popping of buttons echoed through her entire body and she flipped her body on the bed to face the other way. To face her side. At least it was her side last night.

_He removed her shirt and threw it across the room. Her skin was softer than expected, not that he ever thought otherwise. She reached back grabbing his head, letting him know what she wanted. He resumed peppering kisses down her back. When he reached her bra he quickly disposed of it in the same place he did her other garment just seconds before. Then he turned her around, lightly guiding her so she was lying down. He leaned over her and kissed her. She had given in after that. Though it's hard to give in when you weren't fighting in the first place. And this passion was one she had no intention of fighting. _

**Thanks for reading! Once again I will try to update soon. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is the final chapter. I know it's crazy, it's only three chapters, but I never intended for this story to be long. Anyway, I really hope you like it! **

**Chapter 3**

Pulling up in the drive way Tony could see that a light was still on in the house. It's 11:30, does the man ever sleep? He wondered. Opening the door he called out, "Boss?"

"I'm in the kitchen DiNozzo."

"Wow, I'd never expect to hear those words from you Boss. I would of thought you'd be in the basement." He sat down at the kitchen table.

"It's not like I'm down there every chance I get. There's other rooms in this house you know," Gibbs stated defensively.

"Cooking steak at 11:30 at night?" Tony asked, observing the pieces of cooked meat piled on top of a paper plate.

"Nope, storing it in the fridge. Already ate. You want some?" He held it out in front of Tony teasingly.

It was tempting but he replied, "Nah, I think I'm good."

"Coffee?"

"You got decaf?" Seeing his boss's expression of disbelief he added, "Wrong question. Sure I guess I'll take some. I'll be up all night anyway." The coffee burned going down his throat, making him put it down again.

"I'm guessing you haven't fixed what I told you to fix yet." Gibbs looked at him expectantly.

Tony winced. "Not exactly."

"Well then why are you here?"

"Ziva's at my apartment. I just…needed to clear my head before I said something I shouldn't have."

Gibbs put down his mug and turned to face his senior agent fully. "What's this all about?"

Tony glanced at him and then faced forward. "Ziva and I…we spent the night together last night. We did some things…you probably don't want to know about."

"You're right," he interrupted, giving him a pointed look.

"We're not dating, so technically we didn't break rule #12. Not that that helps."

The silver haired man nodded and took another sip of his coffee. "Ok, so the two of you had sex." Tony's eye brows lifted at that. Actually, they made love in that slow way that felt like it would never end. But they didn't want it to end cause the feeling was just too pleasurable to comprehend, but he wasn't about to tell Gibbs that. "But that's not what's bothering you. So what's really the issue?" Gibbs asked.

"She left before I even woke up. Didn't even leave a note." Tony had done the same thing many times in the past with other women, but things were different with Ziva.

"Well what did you expect from her?" What did he expect from her?

"I just…never thought she'd leave. I didn't want her to leave."

"Does she know that?"

"I would have thought so."

"Maybe she didn't know what to do. But you know what to do now."

"I have to go talk to her," Tony announces, getting up from the table. "Thanks Boss."

"Don't mention it." He paused before saying, "Seriously, DiNozzo you better not mention it."

"I know Boss." He called and then whispered "I know," jumping into the car and driving off.

When he entered the apartment he slammed the door, making his presence known. There were no lights on, but Tony knew Ziva was still there. Even though he thought the same thing that morning and she wasn't. The bedroom was dark. She was laying across the bed on her stomach. "Ziva" he whispered. Slowly she began to pick herself up and stood in front of him. Her face was damp like she had been crying. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly, not wanting to let go. "Why did you leave?" It was a soft whisper directly in her ear.

"I was afraid you would not want me in the morning." Her whisper just as soft and fragile.

He moved to look her in the eyes while she continued talking. "I worried that you would wake up and regret what we did. That you would regret making love to me."

He cupped both her cheeks and kissed her forehead. "I could never."

"I didn't want to leave, but so much was running through my head. I didn't know what else to do."

_Ziva woke up feeling more relaxed than ever. She stretched and then looked over at the man next to her. I don't ever want to leave his bed, or his arms, she thought. He looked so innocent when he slept. Looking over at the clock she started panicking. It's 5:30, he should be getting up for work soon. Work, Gibbs, Rule 12. What if he thinks last night was a mistake, that it should not have happened? Acting fast Ziva shot up out of bed and collected her clothes, quickly putting them on. After dressing she leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. She closed the door behind her, leaving a piece of her heart with his. _

"I just…I didn't know what I wanted; I didn't know what you wanted." Ziva exclaimed, waving her hands around as she talked.

He quickly took a hold of them and put them to his lips kissing her fingers. He then said, "I kept thinking last night how I never want you to leave my arms."

She nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. But then I was thinking about all these other things as well. I mean, what would Gibbs say?" She looked at him, noticing his uncomfortable look her eyes got wide. "Oh no Tony, you told him."

"I…he actually seemed ok with it. I think he was able to relate a little bit."

"How?" and then it dawned on her - Jenny.

"So about that, being in your arms stuff?" Tony asked almost shyly.

Ziva smiled and leaned in kissing him softly. Then she grabbed his hand and moved over to the bed. His eyes got wide in realization. "It is still nighttime. We could try it again." A goofy smile was plastered on his face at her suggestion. She laughed. "I meant sleeping."

"Darn." He replied, snapping his fingers. His smile turned softer when he handed her a pair of pajamas.

In the morning when Tony was awoken by a horrifying sound the first thing he said was, "She stayed."

"What did you say?" Ziva sat up in bed, running a hand through her hair.

"You still snore like a drunken sailor with emphysema." He answered, looking over at her and smiling.

"And you still have a hairy butt." She smirked right back and then proceeded to curl herself back up in his warm embrace.

They both silently decided that they were going to lay in bed for at least a couple more hours. It just felt way too comfortable to ever leave.

**Ok, well that's it. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Let me know if you liked it! Until next time.**

**-Beth =D**


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